Learning to Walk, Together and Alone
by belgiques
Summary: Can your life change in merely an hour? He helped her to stand up, and then took the next steps with her. Find out how Quinn really came up with the name Beth and how not Puck or Finn but Jesse was there for one of the big moments in her pregnancy. Q/J
1. Chapter 1

**Learning to walk, together and alone.**

_SUMMARY: Can your life change in just an hour? He helped her to stand up, and then took the next steps with her. Find out how Quinn came up with the name Beth and how not Puck or Finn but Jesse was there for one of the big moments in her pregnancy._

* * *

_18:50_

Damn it, Quinn thought to herself, why did Glee rehearsal have to last longer _today_ of all days? Just when today she had no ride home whatsoever.

She had to catch this bus, she just had to. Otherwise, she'd be stuck at school for another two hours, and she was expected at the gynecologist's office in an hour and a half. She was walking as fast as she could, but with her baby bump getting more and more in the way every day, it became more difficult every day.

She cursed herself for wearing her new flats today. She'd bought them on sale, and when it was hot (like it was that day, the third day of a heat wave) her feet tended to swell up - even more than they'd already had.

_18:53_

Her bus arrived two streets further in exactly two minutes. She'd never make it, unless she ran for it.

She moved her feet as quickly as she possibly could and in the process, passed only one or two of her fellow students, since it was already so late.

When she was halfway, she spotted Jesse walking alone, talking on his cell phone. Jesse St. James. No longer boyfriend of Rachel Berry, but still a member of Glee Club.

In Quinn's opinion, Jesse had handled the whole breakup very graciously. There was no resentment between the two of them and the others of New Directions were grateful to them for that. They needed to be a strong team in order to have a chance at Regionals. Still, it mustn't have been easy; Jesse had given up everything to be with her and in the end, it didn't matter anyway.

She ran by and threw him a smile, him returning it a bit weaker, as if he hadn't expected her to acknowledge him at all. When he realized it was really her, his smile grew and he quickly waved.

You see, secretly, they were intrigued by each other, they even liked each other, but neither would admit that. It'd just be too weird, they both thought. Besides, Quinn was going to have a baby soon and she hadn't met a guy who wanted to be with her in spite of that. She figured he wouldn't either.

_18:54_

Still one minute to go and she was running her feet off, but those yellow flats were killing her one toe at a time. She decided to take them off quickly and just continue on her bare feet.

That's where it went wrong. She took them off, however her legs felt like led from sprinting and they refused to go any further. She tripped over her own feet and yelled as she fell to the ground face-first, meanwhile twisting her ankle and accidentally throwing her flats around her.

She clenched her arm around her belly in sudden terror and tears sprung up into her eyes.

_18:50_

Jesse walked out of the school with a fast pace, wanting to get into his car as fast as he could.

Home wasn't really that spectacular to go to either, it was just him and his uncle and he was gone most of the time. But he'd probably work on some more songs for Glee tonight. Or he'd just cook himself dinner and watch a movie.

He sighed as he walked on. It was so freaking hot outside, even after six and the hottest part of the day should've been over by then. He was practically the only person on the street anymore, it was ridiculous.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard his ringtone coming out of his messenger bag. He rambled through the bag and looked at the screen that read 'Rachel'. He frowned and he felt his throat close up a bit. What was Rachel doing calling him? They had just seen each other at rehearsal.

He pressed the green telephone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Jesse, hi. It's Rachel, as you probably saw. I realized that I never really told you that me and Finn are a couple now. I know that you and I decided to remain friends but I wanted to apologize if I somewhat ambushed you with it today."

For a moment he was at a loss of words. Rachel Berry apologizing? That was new.

However, he appreciated it. Although it hurt him a bit to see them together, Jesse was over her. He was ready for a new love in his life and he was ready to be Rachel's friend – and Finn's too. Hell, he wanted to be a real part of the Glee club. As Santana once had said too, it was the best part of his day.

Today he had taken a chair next to Quinn. He'd noticed she was awfully lonely lately, with no longer being with Finn or Puck, her only true friend seemed to be Mercedes. (And with Mercedes' friendship almost automatically came Kurt's)

He didn't mind to sit next to her, at all. (Obviously)

She had this perfume around her; flowers and fruity scents mixed together. He always caught himself scooting closer to her. He tried to fight the urge; she was having Puck's baby, she was anything but interested in him...

_18:53_

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Rachel calling his name. He returned to the present and realized that he still had to reply to her apology.

"Rachel, yeah, sorry. I was just kind of surprised that you called. But everything's okay. Thank you for saying that though."

Just then he saw someone running by him. Quinn Fabray? What was she doing running around? She was four months pregnant. She seemed to be in quite a hurry but she smiled at him anyway. Wait, _what_?

She was genuinely smiling at him.

He hesitated a bit until he got that he was being totally rude in her eyes. He flashed her his million dollar smile and waved shortly - he was doubting if that'd been a little too much.

_18:54_

He followed her with his eyes as she ran on with a great speed. He returned to his conversation with Rachel, but ended it when he witnessed what was happening to Quinn. A bit further, she stopped to take her flats off but as she wanted to continue she fell to the ground. He noticed the hand she had clutched to her stomach and his body went in overdrive.

"Rachel, I gotta go. Something's happened to Quinn, I need to go help her."

"Yes, of course. Oh my God, is she okay?" she asked frantically, obviously concerned.

"I don't know. I'll call you later. Bye Rach." he quickly shouted into the phone before he closed it and threw it back into his bag.

He leapt over to her as fast as he could with the adrenaline (mostly caused by worry) rushing through his blood.

"Quinn! Are you hurt?" he called out as he tried to help her up.

She looked up at him with her face scrunched up in pain and anxiety. She said his name as she grabbed his outstretched hand and tried to lift herself off the ground with his help.

However, when she tried to stand up she flinched and cried out in pain.

"OW, my ankle! I - I think I twisted it or something. It really hurts."

She cried out again, but this time it wasn't her ankle that was causing her pain. Her hand shot out to her baby bump and her breathing got heavier all at once.

Jesse had to hold her to keep her from falling. He was getting more frantic by the second. Had her fall hurt the baby? He didn't wan to ignore that the fact existed; what if she was miscarrying? He was probably overreacting, but better safe than sorry.

"Listen. Quinn. Hey hey, look at me." he said to her in an effort to calm her down.

Stress wasn't good for the baby either. She held onto him with a death grip and nodded a few times.

"The baby... I don't - what if I -?" She was starting to ramble and cry at the same time. He had to act fast.

"Calm down, Quinn. I'm sure it's nothing, but I'm going to take you to the hospital just to be sure. You're in good hands here, trust me. Okay?" he convinced her with a calmer voice than he'd expected from himself.

She nodded as he moved his hands to pick her up bridal-style. She rested her head against his chest and she actually felt safe in his arms. He put her on the backseat of his car so she could stretch her legs and then he drove away as fast as he could.

* * *

_I hope you liked the first chapter! It's more of an introduction chapter, with what you need to know to follow. ;) This is supposed to be a rather short story (2-3 chps), but maybe if it's well-received I'll continue it :) Please review if you like! Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm so thankful that you seem to love this story as well as my other J/Q one, and that means the world to me. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and keep them coming please! :D Only makes me upload faster. After this, there's one more chapter and to end, and epilogue. Enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

_19:05_

They got to the hospital pretty fast, mostly because Jesse had broken a lot of traffic rules in the process. He carried her out of the car like before and quickly entered the ER.

The nurse let them go first because of Quinn's pregnancy and she told them to wait in the first examining room until Quinn's doctor, whom the hospital had called up, arrived there.

Jesse carefully put Quinn on the table when he entered the room, with her still in his arms, and grabbed the nearest chair to sit on. Quinn's pain had subsided a bit but she was scared something had happened. Her ankle still hurt though, but that was the least of her worries.

"Jesse?" she began, him zoning in on her eyes again. If he had looked at her quivering chin there's no way he wouId've been able to stay as calm as he then was.

"Quinn?" he mimicked in an effort to lighten the tension and the giant elephant in the room. His effort had no effect.

"I'm scared." She paused. "I started thinking about the things that can still happen. If I fall down the stairs or slipped in the bathtub, I could lose the baby. Although he or she wasn't expected per se, I don't want anything to go wrong. I'm so scared."

He took her hand in both of his and squeezed it tightly to let her focus go back to him.

"First of all, you really need to calm down. Worrying is not going to help anything, if only it'll just make you more vulnerable. You have nothing to be scared of. You are a healthy, gorgeous girl. If anything, your baby is going to be too healthy. Your doctor is just going to do a check up, so breathe deeply and try to relax."

She smiled thankfully when her breathing did stabilize. She laced her fingers through his slowly in a sneaky way (which he liked) as they waited a little longer for the doctor to come in.

"l wonder what Rachel would say if she knew you were here with me." Quinn said after a short, but not uncomfortable silence. A grin spread across her lips and she pulsed for his reaction, before letting her gaze rest on their linked hands.

"She actually told me to go with you. She'd just called me when you ran by, but I ended it when I saw you fall. Either way, she seemed worried."

They both caught how good their hands fit together, even though his were bigger than hers.

_19:15_

When the doctor came in, he moved his one hand away from underneath hers so that only his left was lying on her right.

Dr. Luke Robertson, as Jesse could read from his name tag, was a relatively young doctor. As far as he could judge guys by their appearance, he would say that Luke would be handsome in a girl's eyes. He peeked at Quinn but she didn't seem to have a particular fascination for him (but maybe that was due to the fact that she had been a patient of his for a while now).

The doctor took in the two teenagers; the scrapes and bruises on Quinn's arms and legs - the girl he had treated since the beginning of her pregnancy, and then Jesse's guilty expression (that had to do with the fact that he'd gone too far by taking her hands, he didn't want to take 'advantage' of her when she was down) - his version of what'd happened was quickly formed. He sent Jesse a sharp look as he sat down on the other side of Quinn.

"Ms. Fabray, can you tell me what happened to you?" he asked, giving her a sympathetic glance.

"I was running to catch my bus and I fell down." she answered reluctantly, feeling somewhat stupid when she heard it like that.

"And where were you when this happened?" He turned to Jesse next.

"Uh, I was walking by on my way home. I ran out to help her." Why was that even remotely important? He needed to examine her, damn it!

"Listen fella, I know that nowadays, you high school boys are under a lot of pressure and your status is very important, but when you get your girlfriend pregnant, the least you can do is support her and keep your hands off her!"

The doctor was getting very defensive and now Jesse understood where he was getting at. Frankly, he was offended that he looked like the kind of guy who would beat his pregnant girlfriend into the ER.

"You think I did this to her? That's absurd! Quinn?"

"Luke, he's telling the truth." she told him, nodding affirmatively. However, he still didn't believe it. He'd heard many excuses over the years.

Jesse knew he had to leave if he wanted to keep calm, the frustration was already bottling up inside of him.

"Quinn, I'm sorry. My being here maybe wasn't a good idea." he told her and he was ready to storm out the room when Quinn grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"No! Jesse, I need you here. Please don't leave me."

The girl sat up straighter and came to his defense. "Luke, I'm not his girlfriend. He's my friend from school, he brought me to the ER. I have no other boy in my life right now."

The room fell silent after that and Dr. Robertson could tell she meant what she said. He quickly apologized to Jesse and motioned for him to wait.

"Again, excuse me, but trust me, it happens more than you think. Now, I'm sure you can wait outside for a moment while I examine her."

"No, please, he is the father of my baby." Quinn interjected, wanting him beside her when she was finally calm. (And there might have been another reason) "We're just not a couple. But he's there for me."

Well, two true things out of three wasn't bad, she thought to herself.

Jesse raised his eyebrows at her but she pleaded him to remain silent. And he did.

"Very well then. I was rude earlier, but now I have to take it all back. You did a good thing by bringing her in. You're going to make a great father." the man praised, a compliment that had them _both _smiling.

That shouldn't have made Jesse feel as good as it did; it wasn't true. Not true. Made up. What he needed was to was distance himself, before it got way too complicated for the both of them.

Dr. Robertson told them to sit back while he left to get the necessary equipment, which worked out for them to be able to talk.

_19:22_

Jesse sat back down in the chair he had left vacant and sighed.

"I'm sorry he attacked you like that, you didn't deserve that at all. And I also apologize for lying to Luke just now, for putting you in that position. It's just... I hate the fact that I'm responsible for having a baby that doesn't have a real, loving father. I wish Puck cared as much as you did." she admitted, her brown eyes sad because of more than one reason.

"You know who you remind me of?" he asked her out of the blue, trying to distract her from the eternal question mark that was Noah Puckerman.

She shook her head and raised in eyebrow in curiosity.

"What you have to know is that I have been catching up with 'Little Women' recently. Rachel ordered me to read it and although I started, I never finished it. But now I am."

Quinn shot him a look that basically told him to get to the point if he had one.

"Beth March. That's who you remind me of. From what I've read, you two have a lot in common; you're kind, quiet at times, a pianist _(!characteristic of Quinn in my other St. Fabray story that was appropriate here too)_. She recovers from her difficulty, her disease, but she's weakened and left vulnerable by it, she never lets herself off the hook. I see that in you too. You have way too much guilt over this pregnancy. Don't. Whatever you decide, you're doing a wonderful thing, Quinn. Or Beth, whatever you like best?"

He chuckled and she narrowed her eyes in mock irritation.

"You know she died, right?"

"What?" he replied with a shocked expression. "You totally spoiled the ending for me now. Thanks a lot, Fabray."

"My pleasure, Mr. St. James." She played the game along, recognizing a bit of her old Cheerio self in the tone she had used.

_19:24_

"And by the way, it's 'do'." he said, again out of the blue, but this time not to distract her.

She looked at him as if he'd gone crazy. He was absentmindedly staring at the wall behind her and for a moment, she actually doubted his sanity.

"What?"

She wanted to know if she was going to have to call a nurse or something.

"You said 'did'." he began, facing her again and holding her gaze firmly.

"You said 'as much as you _did_'. But I still _do_. I still care, whether or not you're in need."

She felt a genuine smile creeping up her lips and that was the first time in a long time someone had said those words to her. And coming from him, it meant so much more.

Then she found herself leaning towards him; he noticed and his eyes were already looking at her lips, their hearts already beating out of their chests and that familiar feeling in the pit of their stomach rising, him moving his hand to cup her cheek... The moment was there, and it started perfectly.

But of course, just like you would expect, Luke came barging in with the sonogram equipment.

_19:25_

The two of them quickly lunged to opposite sides and tried to keep their faces straight. The man clearly sensed something had happened and asked if he had interrupted something. (Jesse could swear he'd seen a glimpse of a grin on his face.)

Quinn shook her head, visibly caught off guard, but she managed to form a smile for her doctor.

"We were just... talking." she told him.

Jesse quickly recovered to his pragmatic self, mainly thanks to the media training they had had to take to join Vocal Adrenaline.

"Okay then. First I'm going to have look at your foot, but I'm pretty certain it's just a sprain. You're in luck what that's concerned. Next are these scratches, those need to be cleaned." he explained to her, adding that Jesse could help him with that if he wanted.

"And the baby?" Jesse asked, a little annoyed at his dawdling.

"That's right after that. Quinn is our main concern; but healthy mommy usually means healthy baby so..." he didn't finish, but he gave Quinn a reassuring nod before going about his procedures.

She flinched a couple of times when sudden jolts of pain went through her body, but overall it was less brutal than she'd expected. But what she was really nervous about still had to come.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey everyone! Thanks again for the new reviews/alerts/favorites, it seriously means the world to me! Sorry that it took so long to update, I've been in Italy for the past 2 weeks so I didn't have time to write._

_And because my mind spins out of control when I write these two, there'll be one more chapter, and then an epilogue, which will probably be four chapters on its own, maybe even more. I just can't stop! ;)_

_Keep on reading/reviewing, please!_

* * *

_19:35_

Jesse reclaimed his place next to Quinn when Dr. Luke moved the monitor next to her and took the gel to rub on her belly. She yelped at the feel of the cold substance like she had done every time - there was no getting used to it for her.

"Okay, let's check up on your baby, okay? And normally, we should be able to find out the sex, if you want to know."

Jesse grew nervous again. Finding out the sex was a big moment, one he didn't feel like he deserved to be there for.

"Do you want me to leave?" he whispered, just to be sure the doctor wouldn't hear them mess up their story, and a little because he feared a negative answer. He searched her eyes for a glimpse of uncertainty, but he didn't find it.

"No, you can stay if you want. I want you to." she told him, her laughing eyes matching her expression.

He returned it and pulled his chair closer next to her, taking her one hand and his other hovering beside the top of her head.

The amazement Jesse felt got even larger as the picture of Quinn's baby slowly formed. She was surprised at how much the little person inside her had grown. The heartbeat was clear and loud in the examining room and the former stoic VA member's face turned into a full-mode gleeful one.

"That's amazing… My God, talk about the miracle of life." he wondered, rubbing Quinn's hand with his thumb.

"So, I have your blood results here and judging by the sonogram as well, I'd have to say 'Congratulations': your baby is still perfectly healthy."

As soon as she heard that, Quinn broke down in happy tears. She began to sob out of pure relief. Jesse lifted his eyes to the sky and exhaled deeply before pulling Quinn close against his chest with an honest smile on his lips. Jesse stroked her hair to comfort her and squeezed her shoulder a bit, meanwhile looking at Luke who was moved by the sight, and it seemed as though he was genuinely happy for them.

_19:45_

After a few minutes Quinn laid back down against the table, still with those happy tears glistening in her eyes, but she couldn't care less. Her baby was healthy, as healthy as a horse. That gave her so much joy that she realized that it had been all worth it; everything she'd lost, it was all okay if her baby would be okay.

"Now that you're reassured everything is all right, would you two like to find out what you're having?" the doctor asked, turning to the both of them, but really, Quinn had to make this decision. She seemed to be considering both answers; if she would find out, it was going to be even harder to give the baby up. But... by then she had already grown attached to this little person inside of her, whether or not she would be the one to raise him/her. There was no going back from caring, so shouldn't she take advantage of the moment?

She chose for the latter, and so she braced herself for even more emotion. But she wasn't alone. Jesse was right where she wanted him; safely next to her, protecting her, supporting her at a moment in her life she would never forget. She felt wanted, and that too would never forget.

Quinn nodded at Luke in approval before she closed her eyes. She didn't know why she did that. Maybe not to get distracted by Jesse, or because she needed to be in her own world for a few seconds, processing it.

The room was completely silent for a few moments and then came Luke's freeing words.

"Well, won't you look at that. Quinn, it seems like you're carrying a healthy baby girl." he said and his amicability towards Quinn really shined through by the way he said it.

Quinn didn't open her eyes right away, but even through closed eyelids she could feel more happy tears beginning to rise. She couldn't believe it. Until that moment, it al had seemed somewhat unreal to her, but now it was real. A _girl_.

Jesse was completely smitten. In a way it only seemed right. With Quinn's genes, this new generation of Fabray women would be gorgeous, hands down. He kissed her temple gently and gripped her hand tightly as he whispered the words in her ear.

"Congratulations, Quinn. Isn't this what you wanted?"

Her eyes shot open when she felt his lips against her skin, and she tried to ignore the shivers down her spine when he whispered in her ear. She thought about his question. Although she had mostly cared about her baby's wellbeing, deep down it seemed amazing to her. Shopping, talking about boys, buying cute dresses, … Suppressing those dreams was no longer possible.

She turned to him and nodded, returning his triumphant smile (like he was so proud he knew that about her).

"You're positive about this?" she asked Luke, just to be sure she wasn't showing her true colors to then feel like she was a bad mother if it turned out to be a boy, because she had secretly hoped for a girl.

"As sure I can be, Quinn. Again, congrats."

"I can't believe this." she said happily, her pregnant-woman glow illuminating her beaming face even more (in Jesse's opinion at least). "A daughter." (There was a reason she didn't say "my".)

Jesse nodded in agreement and grinned fiercely before naming her. "Quinn Jr." he proposed half-joking, and Quinn looked at him with the sweetest face possible, which got his temperature up instantly.

She shook her head lightly and put her free hand (the one that wasn't holding his) on top of both of theirs.

"l think I'm going to go with Beth." She told him, and honest to God she had never witnessed a more blissful expression than he sported right then. That, mixed with how touched he seemed, got her emotional as well.

"Really ?"

She nodded, her voice just above a whisper. "Yeah." She moved her hand to the side of his face after glancing at the sonogram again.

"Thank you for staying, for being here with me. You didn't have to but you did anyway. That means the world to me."

Her hand left his cheek but he grabbed onto it suddenly. They locked eyes again, and this time, it was inevitable.

That feeling in the pit of their stomachs returned full-force. He acted fast before the moment was gone again. Slowly, he leaned forward while she rested her other hand on his chest; she didn't push him away, which for a split second he feared, but she gripped his shirt, right before their lips met. Gentle at first, a bit more hungrily next, until they broke apart and they were kind of in a daze (maybe from a short lack of oxygen).

"That was..." Jesse started, a little out of breath.

"Wow." Quinn finished, not really knowing where to look. For some reason she couldn't look directly at him, but she couldn't look _away_ from him either.

"l know." he returned, flashing a cocky grin her way, which earned him a playful slap on the shoulder.

This had definitely been a perfect moment.

To round it up, Jesse kissed Quinn's forehead and then pulled her in for a hug. She clung to his shoulder as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

That's when she felt it. A dull pain in the middle of her belly. She was startled and her pleased face turned into a worried one. Jesse sensed something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Quinn? Luke!" he called anxiously, and he immediately rushed over to them. He asked where the pain was and quickly checked Quinn and the baby's heartbeat.

"I don't know, something hurts – Ow! Right here."

Luke pressed on her stomach lightly and frowned. Then he realized something and he chuckled, shaking his head.

"What are you laughing about? This is serious." Jesse reminded him in an annoyed tone of voice.

"She's fine, the baby is fine. The faint pain you're feeling, Quinn, that's your girl kicking." he reassured them, a new wave of relief washing over them.

"Kicking? But that's not supposed to hurt, is it?" Quinn asked, still a tad concerned.

"It can be a bit painful when you're not used to it, but that'll disappear. Just enjoy this, would you? Both of you worry too much." Luke told them, patting Quinn's arm.

"Can I feel?" Jesse asked carefully, and Quinn just took his hand and placed it where Luke had just touched her. The movements made his features scrunch up in surprise.

"Oh that's amazing. You're just... amazing." he said to her and he meant every word.

Her expression got all mischievous and giddy, and she made a motion as if she lured him with her index finger. Then she took control and pulled him in for a long, sweet kiss, in the process draping her arms around his neck, his on her and leg and back.

Maybe more than one perfect moment exists.


	4. Chapter 4

_New chapter (dedicated to the Anon on stfabray's tumblr who said there weren't enough updates :P)! The last normal one, now there's the 'Ten years later' segment. I don't call it the epilogue anymore because it's too damn long. Actually, I'm debating whether to just post it as a new story, 'cause it could be a regular future fic too. What do you think? :) I am so happy you all like the story, so keep on reading and reviewing too, sometimes that's forgotten ;) Enjoy!  
-Elien_

_

* * *

_

_20:00_

The two of them walked out of the hospital hand in hand, Quinn limping a bit because of her ankle. Luke had said that she needed to walk with crutches for at least a week, to keep pressure off of it.

"Quinn, if you're in pain, which I know you are, just let me carry you. You're not that heavy."

She scowled lightly and told him she was a strong woman and that she could handle a little discomfort. He then insisted she at least leaned on him.

Quinn put away the sonogram picture safely in her purse. She didn't know yet if she was going to show it to Puck. She'd show Mercedes the next day, that she _would_ do. She decided that that same night, she would start making a baby book. Although up until today she had been determined on giving the baby up for adoption, after today's events, now she was on the fence about keeping her. She actually felt as though she could do it.

Jesse was really enjoying being around her, holding her small hand in his, but they hadn't discussed what they were, or what would happen next. It was getting dark outside already but they had all the time in the world in his opinion.

He stopped mid-step and faced her, looking down a bit - now that she wasn't lying down anymore, he noticed how much taller he was than her. He found her absolutely adorable.

"Quinn, I want you to know something. Today was... incredible and I feel so grateful that you trusted me enough to be there for it. I really like you and well.. Around you I want to be a better guy than I have been, more responsible. Not to say that I'll change completely, but still." he said honestly and he grinned at her when he said that last part.

She moved closer to him, grabbing his upper arms with both her hands; in reaction he put his around her waist so she could rest her weight on him.

She exhaled lightly before she spoke. "First of all, I don't want you to change. Okay, you can be a little arrogant at times when it comes to performing and stuff, but I know you're a good guy. You dealt with the Rachel stuff amazingly well, and now you guys are even friends. Second, I care about you too. So many people have disappeared from my life and I found support in one of the people I'd least expected it from. I thought you hated me. Maybe not hate, but you know, be indifferent -"

Jesse quickly out his index finger on her lips and made her aware of the fact that she was rambling.

"Right," she realized, then looking up at him again, "Thing is, I want to give this, us, a shot. You know, if that's what you -"

This time, she was interrupted by him kissing her. Sure, that got her to stop talking. Pretty soon, they both got lost in it again and they could hear a couple that passed by murmuring something about them.

"Whoa, okay, Jesse. We have to stop doing this." she said chuckling when she broke away from his embrace. "We should really get to know each other first. So that we won't crash and burn, you know."

"You're right. We should go out. On a date." he told her, while tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I'll have you know I'm a real gentleman." He flashed her that cocky grin again, which evidently, she loved.

"_You _want to date _me_? As in go out in public?"

"Well, yeah. I'm afraid that if we're alone we might get preoccupied again." he said jokingly, but she remained serious.

"But everyone will see us. They'll gossip about you; they know you're not my baby's father, Jesse. And all the staring and whispering, I just don't want you to be a victim of that. I know how it feels, it's horrible." she admitted with a sad smile.

"I really couldn't care less about that, Quinn. You think I've never been gossiped about? At Carmel I was practically the Golden Boy. People respected me, but they were jealous too. Besides, I honestly don't worry about what people think, as long as we're okay with it." he told her determinedly, giving her a reassuring smile.

"So, Quinn Fabray, will you go out with me? Say Saturday night? I'll pick you up at eight." he proposed, putting on an old-school tone.

"l'd love to, Jesse St. James." She replied in the same manner.

_20:15_

They walked on down the parking lot and, as the gentleman he claimed to be, Jesse opened the passenger door for Quinn before he took the wheel.

"What happened to the Range Rover?" she asked, noticing he was now driving a black BMW.

"l sold it," he answered, a little surprised by her question. "It practically _breathed_ Vocal Adrenaline. It was a present from Shelby, so I made tons of profit." he shared, winking at her mischievously.

"Do you miss it?" Her tone was careful, she didn't want him to realize he'd made a mistake by joining and staying with them.

"What, the Rover? Nah, a BMW makes me look cooler anyway." he joked, but when he saw her expression he gave a real answer. "But yeah, sure, a little bit. Back there I was the leader, here I'm nearly always overshadowed by Finn."

_Damn it,_ Quinn thought to herself, _good job, you idiot._

"But," he added, "I enjoy it more with you guys. It's not all about winning with you."

"Yeah, I get that. But hey, as soon as they see how committed you are, they'll get that you're not a spy. Trust me."

"l'll take you up on that." he told her, smiling fiercely.

_20:30_

After a while, they reached the Puckerman house and Jesse halted before the front door.

"Are you going to be okay? Should I come with you to the door?" he wondered, grabbing the crutches they'd picked up on the way.

"No, it's okay. This isn't our first date yet. I'll just see you tomorrow. Thank you." she said, with those piercing blue eyes bigger than ever.

"You're welcome. Good luck." He wished her, thinking about how Puck would react at how late it was and the way she'd come home - he was certain that Puck would be watching when he saw the car pulling up.

Jesse leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead, which caused her to raise an eyebrow.

"Look who's being suddenly old-fashioned." she commented, grabbing the door handle ready to get out.

"l prefer to say 'traditional'. Besides, as you said, it's not our first date yet." He returned her remark; she looked fake-offended but gave him a quick peck on the cheek anyway.

She said goodbye and quickly went inside, looking back for only a moment.

He waited until she was inside to drive away.

As it turns out, your life (or at least a part of it) can change in an hour (or an hour and a half, give or take a few minutes).


	5. Chapter 5

_I am so so sorry for this immensely long wait. I've had this story finished for quite a while, but uploading it took a lot of time. But here it is, at last! There's three parts, two large ones and the middle really small, but it needed to be done that way. ;) I'll post these not too long after each other, just enough time to get some reviews :P Enjoy, and thanks for the reviews that even came in the meantime! So grateful for all of you _

* * *

**Ten years later...**

Jesse opened the door of his New York apartment and found it to be empty. For a part, he was glad about that but he also wondered what was taking her so long.

He dropped his keys on the coffee table and put his messenger bag in the office space. (He _still_ had one of his signature bags, although now it was a leather version.)

On his way to the kitchen, he passed the armoire in the dining room that had an arsenal of pictures on it. Both from the past and the present. His eyes wandered over to the most radiant one of all (although he had to admit, some of _her_ came pretty close).

At the sight of all those beaming faces, he instantly smiled and he remembered the feeling. Winning Nationals was probably one of the best moments of his life. He'd once said to Rachel that he would make all her dreams come true, and by winning that, he'd kind of kept that promise.

He had stayed with New Directions and he was still so glad he had. He became friends with all of them (even Puck and Santana, who sometimes looked at people like she wanted to kill them). Although he graduated that same year, he kept in touch with most of them, and he came to their performances the year after he left.

And okay, there was an other reason he kept going back...

He continued his way to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the two of them. He couIdn't believe it'd been ten years since they met. A decade. And she had become the biggest part of his life, a much bigger part than he'd ever expected her to be.

And tonight, he was going to ask her to become his one and only.

He was incredibly nervous, although he didn't want to admit it to himself. He was a trained performer, he should have been able to control his emotions by now.

After dinner was ready - her favorite meal and wine set to be eaten - he lit a bunch of candles and cleaned up a bit. He knew she hated it when their apartment was a mess. He decided on a quick shower and then, there was nothing left to do but wait for her to come home.

Quinn walked out of the subway, headed home in a fast pace while glancing at her watch. Which wasn't even necessary, she knew she was late. Shopping had taken a lot longer than she'd calculated.

But really, how difficult was it to pick out some furniture? And why had her friends asked _her_ to come along and help? They were adults. Besides, she was awful at deciding on stuff like that. They knew that. Maybe they just liked torturing her.

She reached the front door of the ninth floor apartment in what she thought was a record time, turning the key and entering the dark apartment.

Or at least, that's what it seemed like at first. Someone turned on the lights in the living room and she was startled for a second. Then she saw him and that familiar feeling of safety washed over her, and at the same time she grew a bit more nervous.

"Hey honey. Sorry I'm late, but you can blame Finn and Rachel. They just _couldn't_ decide on a stupid couch and a dining table to go with it - it was pure chaos, to sum up. Anyway... Hi! I missed you today, Jesse." Quinn said as she neared her boyfriend of five years, who wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"I missed you too." he told her before he kissed her lovingly and passionately at the same time. Quinn crossed her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes and allowed herself to get caught up in their kiss.

God, she loved it when he did that. After a long day he would simply hold her or press his lips to hers and everything seemed so much better. Her worrying or insecurities vanished without a trace. (However, now, that pulling nervosity remained. It had been there since she got off the subway and she realized she _had_ to tell him.)

"Hmm. The way you kiss, it's going to be the death of me sooner or later." she joked, he just chuckled and replied "I'm just glad that after five years, you're still not sick of me. I kiss like that to keep convincing you."

"Oh please, by all means, keep that up. But just so you know, you don't need to convince me anymore. I'm already hooked. And I have been for _ten_ years, ever since that day we 'met', whether I wanted to admit it or not." Quinn told him, quickly running a hand through his brown curls.

He smiled at her words, and the flood of memories that came with them.

A lot had happened in ten years. After that day in the hospital, Quinn and Jesse had dated and soon, they became a couple. When that happened, their fellow Glee Clubbers finally accepted Jesse; nobody believed he would use _Quinn_, nobody was that cruel. Rachel and Finn stayed together as well (really to nobody's surprise, they were a perfect match as it turned out) and so there was -almost- no tension between the four of them.

Preparations for Regionals went swimmingly and without Jesse, Vocal Adrenaline stood no chance. Of course they won. And it was amazing.

But there was another event that made that night so special; right after New Directions had performed, Quinn's water broke. To top it off, her mom was there and everything was one big chaos of information.

When baby Beth was born (Quinn had kept her promise), Jesse was there with her, as were Mrs. Fabray and Puck. He had formed into a caring friend for Quinn a few weeks before she gave birth and at first, Jesse was a bit suspicious and uncomfortable with it, because of course _he_ was the father. But Quinn was of the opinion that now that she had Jesse, Puck felt less tied down and responsible around her. And so when they arrived at the hospital that night, she asked for Jesse to be there too, and Puck hadn't protested, saying Jesse had done what he _should have_ been doing for nine months.

He'd gone with Puck when he informed the rest of New Directions of the birth, hugging Rachel with a joyous smile on his face. The moment Puck wanted to return, Jesse told him to go alone; Quinn and him needed some time alone. Puck had nodded gratefully and told Jesse to wait outside if he wanted to.

After 12 minutes (so what if he'd counted?) he returned with his baby girl in his arms, on his way to the nursery. "Quinn needs you." he had added, a concerned frown on his face that immediately infected him too.

_When Puck took his daughter to the nursery, Jesse found Quinn in her room, laying on her side with her back facing the door. She was unable to mask the sniffing sounds she made and so he knew she was crying._

_The sight broke his heart; any new mother should be ecstatic and only exhausted because of labor and have baby blues that transformed into strong maternal feelings. But he knew she was confused and unsure._

_He laid behind her on the bed, slipping his arms around her waist and laying his chin on her shoulder. He waited for her to start talking; asking what was wrong would've been unnecessary._

_"I don't know what to do, Jesse." She finally admitted, her voice weaker than ever. "It's obvious that Puck wants to keep her. I just - I don't know how."_

_He sighed and kissed her temple gently before asking what she wanted to do. She seemed to consider the question very carefully, he could see the conflict in her eyes._

_"I don't know."_

_"I think you do." he told her. "I can see it. And I kinda think you've known for some time now."_

_Quinn got teary-eyed after a while, letting his words sink in, and in the end she nodded. The two of them discussed the options for Beth and they hadn't come up with an answer._

_"I'm not in love with Puck. I don't want to live together only because we're parents. We're both too young to settle for roommates." Quinn said._

_Jesse added something to that. "But I know you, honey. You're a too good a person to keep Beth away from him. You don't want to raise her without Puck either, he loves her too much."_

_Quinn looked at him and smiled at how well he knew her. Her face fell again when she considered everything._

_"I don't know what to do. Help me." she pleaded._

_Jesse thought about what would be best for everyone, trying to put his own jealousy aside. He only saw one solution. He suggested something that was extremely rare among teenage parents. As soon as she heard it, Quinn had the hugest smile on her face and she knew it was the right thing to do._

_"You're amazing, Jesse. What would I do without you?" she complimented as he leaned over and kissed her. "I love you."_

_"l love you too, Quinn, and I've been so proud of you today. All this time, actually." he told her honestly, and she instantly felt so much better about the whole thing. He always did that. _

That's how Quinn and Puck from that day on shared the custody of their daughter. And it had been the best decision they'd could have made. They weren't in love with each other, but cared enough for one another to make this work.

As for Quinn and Jesse, a wonderful and also stressful time began. She moved back in with her mom, and during the summer, that's where Jesse spent most of his time. He'd never been happier and he discovered he was amazing with kids. At least, with this one he was. Beth had grown quite attached to him, and his heart ached every time Quinn dropped her off at Puck's, and despite that all of them knew they'd made the best decision, he saw how hard it was on his girlfriend.

When Beth was three, he figured it had been all a bit too much for her. She'd started her first year at Columbia while Puck went to NYU on a football scholarship. Jesse had wanted to go to Columbia's drama department in order to help take care of Beth, but out of the blue there was one thing that got in the way. Quinn herself.

The night he told her, they got in a huge fight. She was of the idea that he was holding back for her, because she knew that he had been accepted at UCLA, something that had always been a dream for him. She wanted him to be all that he could be, to be the performer he already was. His replies that he loved her and Beth more than the arts had no effect on her.

She thought she had no another choice, so she told him she didn't want to be with him anymore. She lied and told him she wanted to break up. Even if she still loved him almost as much as Beth.

Heartbroken and without any idea why the greatest relationship he'd had ended without an apparent reason, Jesse moved to New York and started on his dream. Most of the time it was a pretty good distraction. He willed himself to think only about getting a first role. Except all he did was think about her.

She and Puck both started college and handled raising Beth, they managed to find a balance between the two and remained good friends, if not best friends. He stayed away for a while - didn't call or text or email her, because she'd asked him to.

Then, about eight months after the breakup, Jesse ran into Rachel.

* * *

_Haha, tiny cliffhanger there. I'm sneaky like that. Hope you liked this, please tell me what you think!_


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone, so sorry for the long wait, but I honestly thought I'd posted the whole thing already. After this, one more chapter, so enjoy! Remember, this is still a flashback, but writing it all in italics seemed so weird. Anyway...

* * *

It was getting colder in New York and almost everyone took their winter clothes out of the closet. Jesse was just returning to his apartment after a successful call-back for 'Romeo and Juliet'; the producers practically assured him he had the part.

The icy wind almost cut through his skin so he kept his head down, but he was startled when someone called his name. He looked around and spotted the familiar brunette not too far from him.

"Rachel? Is that you? My God, what a surprise!" he said as he walked over and gave her a hug. "What are you doing here? I heard you were in LA."

Rachel looked at him, taking in his current appearance before answering.

"I am, I am, but I got a week off to take a class here. It's kind of exclusive, invite-only, so I couldn't refuse. Not that I would've. You know me, I always want to do everything." she finished with a grin.

He nodded knowingly, noticing she had bangs now and her hair was a bit lighter since he'd last seen her.

"So what are you doing out this time at night, all alone?" he asked her, mimicking the music of a bad horror movie.

"My second class just ended, I was on my way home." she told him, then adding "I could ask you the same thing though."

"I'm going home too. I just did a callback for Romeo and Juliet." He shared, and she seemed surprised and delighted at the same time.

They started talking about other things but the cold got to them after a while, so Jesse suggested she'd come to his apartment. She seemed hesitant, and Jesse couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to seduce you or anything. You and Finn are great together, I wouldn't do that to either one or you. Or myself (and Quinn, he added in his mind) for that matter." he said seriously.

"I know, Jesse, but I don't know. Isn't it weird?" she wondered. He frowned at that.

"Weird? Why? We're friends, and we are both in love with someone else."

He cursed himself after saying that. She hadn't asked yet about Quinn, but he knew she understood he was talking about her. Rachel gave him a sad smile and reached out to squeeze his hand.

"We have some catching up to do, I think." she said as she walked along with him to his apartment not very far away from Rockefeller center.

"So how have you been?" Rachel asked with a worried expression. So far, they had only discussed her life, Jesse had wanted to avoid talking about him. He sighed as he stood up to refill their cups.

"You have to ask? I can tell you know just by looking at me." he said, raising an eyebrow, waiting for her to prove his point.

Then he saw it; she was throwing him that look again. He hated when she did that to someone.

"Rach, don't give me that look! It makes me want get drunk and throw cans at pigeons."

She scoffed. "Look? What look? I don't have a _look_."

"The hell you do! You invented the look. Now stop it. I'm fine." He remained silent for a moment and then asked what he really wanted to know. "How is she?"

"I'd say about as fine as you claim to be." she said, lifting an eyebrow in disbelief.

Jesse glared at her, pushing her to continue.

"Look, she's Quinn, you know how she is. Right now, she's burying herself in school and Beth. She's in denial." Rachel told him, remembering all those phone calls they had after the break-up. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it when he put his head in his hands in desperation.

"I know I'm being pathetic, but I just miss her so much. We are a great couple, and I just don't understand what happened."

"Seriously?" she asked in disbelief. "It's so obvious."

He turned to look at her and she couldn't help but smile a little at his ignorance. She told him all the things Quinn had thought when he told her he was putting his dreams aside for her and her daughter.

Then it finally clicked into place in Jesse's mind. He had been focusing too much on the actual fact than the real reason behind it.

"I really am an idiot, aren't I?" he asked, although he already knew the answer to that. Rachel nodded furiously and handed him her phone.

"What, you want me to call her? Just like that?"

"Of course! She'll be so happy to hear you, I'm sure of it." she encouraged, dialing the number already.

Jesse considered his options. He shook his head and closed the phone again, saying he didn't want to do this over the phone. It'd been eight months since they last spoke and a stupid phone call wouldn't solve anything.

So a day later he was standing at Quinn's door with no luggage or any sort of plan. She was just having dinner with Puck when the doorbell rang.

* * *

I hope you liked it! Please review, and thank you all so much for sticking with this story, it means the world. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Last chapter has finally arrived! I have loved this story so much and I'm so excited that you stuck with it - and me. Enjoy this last one!

* * *

So a day later he was standing at Quinn's door with no luggage or any sort of plan. She was just having dinner with Puck when the doorbell rang.

"Hi" was all he said when she opened the door, still with an apron on and a towel in her hands. She was laughing, but her smile disappeared when she saw him; it was like she was in shock.

"Jesse." she acknowledged, and frankly, at first she didn't know what else to say. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in New York."

"I'm aware of that", he said, grinning, "and last night I still was. I just- wanted to call you."

She chuckled at the ridiculousness of that comment, and he got it too.

"But I realized I only wanted to see you. And man, you're still gorgeous." He told her, causing her to blush.

He was still standing in the doorway and as Quinn now noticed his clothes were wet. It had stopped raining an hour before which made her wonder how long he had just walked around. So she asked him to come in.

He looked around her new apartment and saw it was definitely like her. Cozy, with a pinch of Victorian. He saw the light of the kitchen and he wasn't very surprised when he saw Puck sitting there. He looked at Jesse almost as taken aback as Quinn did, but he could've sworn he saw a grin on his face, like he was glad he'd come to his senses.

"Hey man." Puck greeted, before clearing his throat and standing up to leave, "I'll go check on Beth."

"Dinner will be ready soon though!" Quinn called after him before finishing up what Jesse smelled was pasta. She told him to take a seat behind the cooking island/dinner table, where he saw a few textbooks lying around, all open on a certain page.

"History?" he read, not remembering she took that class.

"It's Puck's. He's taking up a few more classes this semester. He's actually a lot smarter than everyone thinks, including me." she admitted, smiling at Jesse.

"I heard that, Quinn!" They heard his voice coming from upstairs. Quinn scoffed and replied - or shouted – that he needed to stop eavesdropping.

"Look Jesse," she began, turning around, leaning against the counter with an exasperated expression on her face, "not that I'm not happy to see you, because I am, but... what are you really doing here? We haven't seen each other in over eight months, we haven't even talked or anything."

"Because you asked me to stay away. Besides, you dumped me, so it wasn't really my position to call." he defended a little strongly.

She gave him that familiar Quinn Fabray bitch face in return. "So you're saying this is _my _fault?"

He quickly stood up and stepped closer to her, shaking his head. "No, that's not what I mean. The thing is I was hurt, and frankly, I didn't even think you wanted to hear from me. You said you don't love me anymore." He reminded her in a small and soft voice.

The look in his eyes killed her; pure defeat. Her own eyes filled with tears and to her own annoyance her chin started to tremble.

"You think I meant that? You think I _mean _that? Jesse, you were giving up everything for me. You wouldn't have let me do it if the roles had been reversed!" she replied, knowing she was right.

"But you could've at least talked to me about it, without just lying to me to make it easier."

"I'm sorry. But I know you. You would've stayed anyhow. It was the only way, Jesse, don't you get that?" she asked him, the both of them finally opening up what was locked away all those months.

"At first, I didn't, I really didn't. I spent months wondering what I did wrong… But yesterday I ran into Rachel and everything became clear- I just wish I'd realized it sooner." he said, with a tone that made clear he had nothing else to say.

"Me too." she whispered as two tears fell down her cheeks. A watery smile formed on her face when she saw his beaming one.

"God, I've missed you." he said before walking closer and leaning in to kiss her full on the lips. She was a bit taken aback but soon relaxed into it.

When they broke apart she was still a bit teary. "I _do _love you. I always did. I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too. For being such a considerate bastard." They both laughed at that wave of Jesse St. James arrogance. "I should've been here a lot sooner."

"Doesn't matter, you're here now." She told him, and again they chuckled at the cheesiness of that line. But really, they couldn't have cared less.

Jesse never would've guessed he'd owe getting the love of his life back to Rachel Berry. But he still had to smile like a lunatic when he thought of that night.

Puck had indeed been listening in on their conversation, to no one's surprise really. He returned downstairs in a casual way, sitting back down behind his books, smirking at them.

Turns out that Jesse running into Rachel wasn't a coincidence at all. Puck had called her with Jesse's new address and had asked her to stop by and talk to him. So she wasn't heading home like she'd said.

Jesse didn't know what to say (that was a first) and Quinn just got emotional again, surprised that he did that for them. He shrugged and reasoned that he'd do a whole lot to make 'his baby mama' happy.

After that they had dinner and caught up on their lives. But there was still one person Jesse hadn't seen yet.

When Quinn brought Beth down to see him, Jesse's face completely lit up. The little girl was a bit sleepy already but she immediately recognized him.

"Uncie Jesse!" she exclaimed in that girly, adorable voice as she ran up to him into his open arms. He noticed she still had trouble with saying Uncle.

"Hey there, Princess." he said, picking her up and resting her on his hip. She smiled at the familiar nickname and peeked at Quinn who had a huge smile on her face.

"Are you and Mommy kissing again?" she asked innocently, causing the adults to laugh out loud.

"I guess you could call it that. Wow, I have sure missed you." Jesse said to her and the girl looked ecstatic.

"More than Mommy?"

Jesse smirked at Quinn and nodded at Beth. "Yes, okay, I admit it." he told her, hugging her again. It was then he truly remembered how happy he'd been with them around.

Since then Jesse and Quinn had stayed together, been in Rachel and Finn's wedding and they had seen Puck fall in love. Although they both didn't want to admit it, Jesse and Quinn knew that having Santana back in his life was a very good thing for him. _Everyone_ had grown since high school.

Quinn finished her studies and actually became a lawyer. Jesse did get the part of Romeo on Broadway and continued the role for three years, then taking on various other roles.

At first they chose for a long-distance relationship, seeing each other on weekends and on breaks, but after four-five years, he eventually started to dread going back to New York. However, he didn't leave. Quinn and Puck moved to New York with Beth, both getting jobs there and seeing their friends a lot more.

It finally fell into place.

"What's this?" Quinn asked surprised when she saw the decorated dining room.

"Nothing." Jesse replied, "I just cooked dinner."

Quinn raised her eyebrows and turned to her boyfriend, resting her hands on his chest. "And what did I do to deserve this? Other than being awesome 24/7." She joked.

"You spent the day with Rachel when she had to choose furniture out of an enormous department store. That's enough torture for one day." Jesse replied only half-joking, which earned him a smack on the shoulder.

"Hey, she's my best friend. I know you love her too." Quinn told him, silently wanting to remind him that she was his first girlfriend, and vice versa.

"Of course I do, but you know what I mean. But seriously, I just wanted to do something for you." he admitted when he took her hand and led her to the dining room, letting her sit down.

He went into the kitchen and served the whole menu he had made, while they just talked about their day like every other day, but they never got bored of it. Or each other.

But by the time they were eating dessert, Jesse was getting more anxious than was good for him.

He put down his fork, took Quinn's hand and gently rubbed it with his thumb.

"Do you remember what today is?" he asked her carefully.

She looked at him with a smile and leaned a bit closer. "Yes, I do. Today, we've been together 7 years. Non-stop, that is."

Jesse chuckled at that. "Nice add. If you hadn't been so hell bent on my career, it would've been almost 10 years."

She scoffed lightly but leaned over to kiss him anyway. "At least there was one good thing that came out of those eight months."

Then Jesse's tone suddenly turned serious. "Well, because it's our anniversary, I got you a present."

She seemed exited, but in her mind she was scared. She knew dinner was the right time to tell him what happened. She just wasn't sure if she was ready. However, she shoved that feeling away for now, she enjoyed just being with him alone.

He stood up and she thought that he was going to get it from another room, instead he kneeled down beside her and looked up at her. She gasped lightly and turned to him a bit more.

"Jesse, what are you doing?" she wondered, even though she knew.

"Quinn, honey, I love you so much. We've been in love for almost ten years now, and although I never thought I'd find love so early, I'm glad I did because now I have even more time to spend with you. We have been through a lot already and any new problems or surprises that'll come my way will be no problem, cause now I have you beside me… So I want to ask you; Quinn Fabray, will you marry me'?" he said, opening a black box with an incredibly beautiful diamond ring in it.

And there it was again. Quinn had made a promise to herself that she wouldn't get so emotional as often as she had been lately, because then he would know, but now she couldn't keep it together. Her cheeks hurt by smiling and crying so fiercely.

"Yes, of course I'll marry you!" she said blissfully before Jesse put the ring on her finger, got up and kissed her passionately. They were both chuckling when they broke apart and hugged.

"We're getting married? We're engaged?" Quinn asked unsure (but with a grin), as if she couldn't believe it.

"Well, we're already like an old married couple, so why not make it official?" he joked, once again earning a slap from his girlfriend.

Correction: fiancé.

Then she remembered. She needed to tell him something. And it could change everything.

"I have something too." she announced once they sat back down and had finished their dessert.

They were on the couch now and before things got... _preoccupied_ again, she needed to say it. "Something I need to tell you."

Jesse sat up straighter and seemed kind of worried by the tone in her voice. "What's wrong?"

She braced herself and went for it. "There's another reason why I spent the whole day with Finn and Rachel. Something has… happened and I needed to tell someone, I couldn't keep it to myself any longer."

"What is it? Something with your mom? Were you robbed?" He started a worried ramble, that was obvious.

Quinn shook her head and grabbed his hands to silence him. She looked at him a bit scared and said it.

"I'm pregnant."

Silence filled the room as Jesse stared at her with open mouth, the news still sinking in.

"Oh crap, you're not okay with this, are you? And how can you be? You've just asked me to marry you, we're not ready to have a child yet." - Now she was rambling.

"Well, we raised a ten-year-old part-time, so you know, that has to count for something." he replied, still apparently in some kind of daze. Then he looked her in the eyes and asked if she was really sure about it.

When she nodded, she thought she heard a tiny squeal coming from him. What she did see were the tears in his eyes that were against his otherwise relatively controlled self.

"This is perfect." he told her before kissing her once more. "As much as I love Beth, it'd be great to have a baby in the house. Our baby. Jesus, I can't believe this. I'm going to be a father."

"You already are, you know that." She reminded him.

"I do, but you get what I mean. I'm so happy about this, Quinn. I truly am. I can't wait to start telling people. So _who else_ knows?" he asked, mentally listing the people he had to tell.

"Um... I told Beth yesterday when I dropped her off at Puck's. So obviously _he_ knows." she grinned and went on.

"She's so exited to get a sibling, even if it's a half one. And Puck was surprisingly sweet about it. He just wrapped his arms around me and called godfather." she explained, resulting in a giggle fit.

"Kinda sucks for me though, there's no one left to tell." he said, pouting a bit.

"Other than Shelby, my parents, your parents, Kurt and Mercedes, you can spring the news on Rachel. She was so worked up all day and I didn't get the chance. I told Finn not to tell her, so it'd be a surprise. He was very happy for us, by the way."

"I'll stop by their place tomorrow. Right now, I just want to be with my fiancé. And Jesse Jr.?" he proposed jokingly, but Quinn shook her head fiercely and said that she got to suggest a name this time. He happily obliged and leaned in to kiss her.

"Oh no, I see preoccupation coming. Quick, to the bedroom!" Quinn demanded giggly, so Jesse picked her up bridal-style and started walking.

"I'll be doing this again soon enough. Don't gain any weight though, it'll be harder then." he told her, and for the third time she slapped him before wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into him.

"I love you." she whispered against his chest as she closed her eyes contently.

"And I'm maybe warming up to you." he replied, smirking again.

"Argh, Jesse!"

"Jeez, I'm kidding!" He stopped right before the door and looked her in the eyes when he told her "I love you more than anything in the world. Remember that, will you?"

You wanted perfect moments? I guess we're still counting...

And this is actual proof that one hour _can_ change your life. _Remember that, will you?_


End file.
